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Category Archives: Advertising

Three problems more pressing that your social media strategy.

*Note: This is a cross-posting of a post I wrote for AdFarm. Check it out here. For some companies, social networks are kind of like monsters under the bed. Instead of thinking about the great upsides, these folks worry about over-sharing by employees, losing control over intellectual property, damaging their brands, losing productivity, fielding sensitive [...]

We all need more receptors

Something stuck me today while reading this article on bacterial decision-making. We all need more receptors. Now, that statement doesn’t make a whole lot of sense without the context, so here’s the context: “As bacteria’s ability to make decisions goes, E. coli is kind of dumb, which makes it easy for researchers to study sensing [...]

Being bend-to-fit

I’m a fan of planning. I’m a fan of strategy. They’re absolutely essential in this business. But there’s a side to me that bucks and chafes at limitation. Inevitably, there’s a lot of good stuff that simply won’t fit into a well-laid strategy. However, there are times when a bit of that good stuff really [...]

Not a drop to drink

You know that saying when it rains it pours? Well, it’s never been more apropos. With economic woes, energy crises, renewable fuel debates, healthcare haggling and climate concerns, it’s not surprising that the importance one of our basest biological needs, water, has been sorely neglected. I’m not immune to the apathy; I was supposed to [...]

Birthday Wishes and Twitter Trends

Last week, messages started showing up in my Twitter stream with a birthday wish from @FarmerHaley (Mike Haley), an Ohio grain farmer and Simmental breeder. The wish: get the hashtag #moo into the top 10 Twitter trends at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, August 2. The reason: bring some much-needed attention to the economic plight [...]

Because there aren’t directions

The best days are the ones where we come up with an idea that makes people scratch their heads and ask, “How the hell are we going to do this?” or, “Aren’t there any case studies that we can show?” This job is about novel communications. When we do something that doesn’t have directions already [...]

Learning to be less than perfect

At the moment, I’m acutely aware of my personal failings. Trying to quit smoking has a way of bringing it out. Maybe it’s all those quizzes they ask you to take to determine your triggers and the things you associate with smoking. For instance, apparently I: -Smoke as a pick-me-up -Smoke as a reward -Smoke [...]

Time to Turn Off

When I opened my eyes this morning, I realized I was already working on a project. The weird part is I’ve already done everything (and more) I need to before Tuesday. I just can’t turn it off. Our agency is at our best when we start at the start, when we create a strategy based [...]

The Cow Goes Tweet?

I’ll admit it. I’ve anthropomorphized a time or two. In any creative profession, it’s an easy fix to ascribe a like mind to an object or creature. It helps make old stories new again or create a more compelling interpersonal narrative where one doesn’t naturally exist (see: Cars, WALL-E, Toy Story, the entire Looney Toons [...]

When Art Directors Attack

As one would expect, we have a good time around here. Case in point: at about 12:30 yesterday, I realized the right side of my desk was about an inch and a half higher than the left side. Jason Yates and Jason Silvers did it while I was in St. Louis last week. Since Monday, [...]